Simple Healthy Tips For Well Being
Three Simple Ways to Improve Your Wellbeing for Healthy Aging Month
By Alan Wu, Bay Alarm Medical
September is Healthy Aging Month, the perfect time to reflect on how you can optimize your physical, mental and social health as you grow older. While it’s important to take care of yourself at every life stage, seniors are more vulnerable to age-related ailments such as high cholesterol and heart disease. So celebrate your life by investing the time and energy now to make small changes that will create a more enjoyable future.
Let’s Get Physical
Exercise doesn’t have to mean running a marathon or lifting heavy weights. In fact, overworking yourself may cause additional health problems. Try indoor cycling, zumba or yoga for fun alternatives to toning and relaxing your muscles all the while getting the activity you need. Finding new trails to hike or walking around your neighborhood are good forms of physical activity that require minimal investment. If you are concerned about exercising alone, consider getting an automatic fall detection alert system so you can feel more confident that help will arrive if you are injured. Companies like Bay Alarm Medical offer medical alert devices that instantly call emergency services with the touch of a button in case of a fall, dizziness or other accidents.
The Mind Matters
Stimulating your brain regularly is a good way to prevent forgetfulness and keep your wits sharp. A national study of 3,000 older adults found that after five years, those who did brain training programs improved in cognitive speed, memory and reasoning. This helped with everyday tasks including managing medications, preparing meals and overseeing finances. Reading the newspaper and solving the morning crossword puzzles are great ways to challenge your thinking power and keeping your mind active. There are also many games that are specifically designed to train memory and attention and are easily accessible on iPads, tablets or smartphones. You can either play with friends, family or by yourself. The most important part is keeping the brain engaged so the risk of developing dementia-related diseases is lowered.
Make New Connections
Having close relationships and staying socially active is essential to maintaining a high quality of life. In fact, research shows that social interaction in older adults can result in health benefits such as lower blood pressure, reduced risk of depression, cardiovascular problems, some cancers, osteoporosis, rheumatoid arthritis and Alzheimer’s disease. While it’s sometimes difficult to get together with loved ones who live far away or have school and work commitments, technology allows people to connect instantly through text, voice, photos and video. To combat loneliness and social isolation, arrange regular Skype calls with family members and join a local club that piques your interest like a weekly gardening or a book club.
Aging is a natural life process and taking proactive measures to be physically, mentally and emotionally sound can ease the process. So during Healthy Aging Month — and all year long — taking small steps, literally, can go a long way in improving your health and overall wellbeing.
Category: Articles
